The royal house of AmaTshawe is the oldest royal family in South Africa. They trace their ancestry back to Xhosa, a mythical figure who led the Nguni clans to near the Mzimkulu river, conquering and displacing the local Khoi clans resident. The first rulers of a unified Xhosa federation were the amaTshawe clan who conquered neighbouring Nguni chiefdoms to form the first Xhosa Federation.